“I’m working through your book rhetorica®. I have to confess I only thumbed through it before, whereas this time I’m working through it properly. Reading it makes me feel honoured to know you and so very lucky to have had you help me. The story of the big Texan who crushed you in a bear hug after you helped him overcome his lifetime fear of writing really touched me and made me smile, as do many of the anecdotes in the book. I think everyone should read rhetorica®, as we all need to write for purpose and meaning.

I have learnt so much from it already. The fact that I know the author makes me feel very lucky indeed. Thank you so much for your time and your generosity in helping me.” Helene Jones

“This book will improve your writing. No matter what you’re working on, be it a multi-million pound proposal or an email to your colleagues, this book will help you persuade and communicate clearly with the written word.

Scott’s writing is clear and the book is informative and fun. It is set out in an accessible manner and written in plain English. Highly recommended (from a professional proposal writer).” Peter Sharpe

“What a splendid book! Even though I train people in effective written communications, I still picked up an enormous number of ideas from Scott’s book. It contains a wealth of ideas about how to improve your writing, in three sections: Planning, Drafting, Editing.

And Scott writes just as he encourages you to write — with clarity, concision, drama, humour and…well, you’ll have to buy it to discover the other techniques he employs! (And you can start a sentence with ‘and’.)

The 21 tools are invaluable to anyone who wants to write better, and you can scale the ideas up according to whether you are crafting your CV or penning your soon-to-be-published master work. This is an invaluable addition to the small body of classic works on writing. Fowler, King, Truss and now Keyser.” D.A.Cotton

Whether you’re pre-qualifying an opportunity, meeting the buyer(s), submitting a bid document, pitching or seeking client feedback post-award, this book unpicks best practice at every stage. Having worked on hundreds of public, private and voluntary sector proposals and helped Ernst & Young double its tender win-rate, Scott shows you how to:

Bid only for winnable opportunities and avoid costly ‘done deals’

Build rapport with each buyer and shape their perception of you

Position yourself as an equal partner, not a subservient supplier

Excite the buyer(s)

Get on the inside track of the opportunity

Personalize your response to each buyer, so they recognize themselves and their agenda in it